The Unitary Group in Its Strong Topology

Abstract

The unitary group $\mathrm U(\mathcal H)$ on an infinite dimensional complex Hilbert space $\mathcal H$ in its strong topology is a topological group and has some further nice properties, e.g. it is metrizable and contractible if $\mathcal H$ is separable. As an application Hilbert bundles are classified by homotopy.